The Server Cluster May Display Its Former Drive Letter in Windows Explorer (292271)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition
This article was previously published under Q292271

SYMPTOMS

When a disk resource is in an offline state on a node that is in a server cluster, the disk resource may be displayed in Windows Explorer with a former or incorrect drive letter.

CAUSE

This problem can occur because in Windows Server 2003 server clusters you are not required to preconfigure the shared disks to have matching drive letters on all nodes in the cluster prior to configuring the Cluster service. (This preconfiguation of the shared disks had been a requirement in Microsoft Windows NT 4.0.) The physical disk resources are created from the drive letters that had been used on the node when the first node had been installed in the cluster.

If the disk resource had been configured to use a different drive letter on another node in the cluster, the cluster-assigned drive letter can override any of the existing drive letter assignments that are on the local node.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, open Logical Disk Manager and remove any additional drive letter assignments other than the drive letter assignments that the Cluster service has assigned.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:1/20/2006
Keywords:kbbug kbui KB292271
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